AstanaCalling #303

Astana Calling

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Republic of Kazakhstan

Central Communications Service for the President of Kazakhstan

A WEEKLY ONLINE PUBLICATION / WWW.MFA.GOV.KZ ISSUE No 303 / FRIDAY, MAY 10 2013

Kazakhstan Celebrates Victory Day Soldiers past and present honored

President Nazarbayev Discusses Industrialization Program with Government

Kazakhstan Delegation Takes Part in Annual Meeting of Asian Development Bank

Warns of knock-on effect of global economic crisis

Next session to be held in Astana

News from the Government in Brief

Also in the News

The wreath-laying ceremony in Astana on May 9

Kazakhstan Celebrates Victory Day This has been a highly significant week for the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan. On May 7 the Day of the Defender of the Fatherland was celebrated. And, in common with much of the rest of the former Soviet Union, May 9 saw an important milestone in the country’s history with the annual celebration of the end of the Second World War in Europe. Both days were public holidays in Kazakhstan.

The official celebrations of the Day of the Defender of the Fatherland began on May 6, when President Nazarbayev hosted a ceremony in the Presidential Palace in Astana at which a number of state awards were given to members of the armed forces, the security services and special forces. The President praised the professionalism of the servicemen, and said that the stability and well-being of Kazakhstan was in the hands of reliable soldiers.

The date of May 7 as the Day of the Defender of the Fatherland was chosen because it was on this day in 1992 that the new Armed Forces of Kazakhstan were officially formed, following the break-up of the USSR and the declaration of independence for Kazakhstan on December 16 1991.

The Day was marked this year with a military parade at the “Otar” 40th Military Base, presided over by President Nazarbayev in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan. Some 7,000 service personnel took part in the parade, along with 400 military vehicles and weapons and 80 airplanes and helicopters.

As the President told the participants of the parade, the Army of Kazakhstan carries out more than 250 exercises of varying kinds every year to ensure their combat readiness, and the military parade is the culmination of this training. While the parade was taking place a military salute with the firing of guns was carried out by the naval forces of Kazakhstan in the Caspian Sea. All of this, said the President, showed off the truth of the slogan, “A strong Army means a strong Kazakhstan!”

“On this day, May 7, officers and soldiers demonstrate that they are genuine patriots and military professionals.

Their slogan rings out powerfully and courageously: ‘A strong Army means a strong Kazakhstan!’”

President Nazarbayev

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After the parade, there was a demonstration for the assembled crowds of the firepower of the Armed Forces, in which land and air forces took part. This included ground attacks and mock air battles with fighter jets and helicopters. After this, President Nazarbayev inspected the latest military equipment and met and chatted to a number of participants of the parade.

Just two days later, on May 9, another military parade took place, this time in Astana, to mark the anniversary of the end of World War Two in Europe.

Kazakhstan sent five complete divisions to fight in the War as part of the Soviet Army. Soldiers from Kazakhstan participated in all of the major battles fought by the Soviet Army in the War, including the bitter struggles for Leningrad and Stalingrad and the massive tank battle at Kursk, all of which proved so decisive in the ultimate defeat of Nazi Germany. The extent of the participation by people from Kazakhstan is highlighted by the fact that some 500 of them were awarded the highest decoration for valor, “Hero of the Soviet Union�.

As part of the celebrations to mark May 9, President Nazarbayev laid flowers at the main war memorial in Astana accompanied by an official delegation comprising government officials, foreign diplomats and representatives of the Nur Otan Party and other public figures. The President went on to meet with war veterans and noted that 1.8 million Kazakhstanis participated in the war, only half of whom survived. With time, the significance of the war will only increase, the President said.

President Nazarbayev, The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, at the Otar 40th Military Base

The celebrations in Kazakhstan this week

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President Nazarbayev chairs this week’s government meeting on the Industry and Innovation program

President Nazarbayev Discusses Industrialization Program with Government President Nazarbayev called together government ministers this week to discuss the Program for the Rapid Development of Industry and Innovation in Kazakhstan. The program is divided into two five-year periods, starting in 2010, and the aim is that by the year 2020 Kazakhstan’s industry should be competitive on the world stage. As the name suggests, the second part of the program is to encourage the continuing growth of innovation in the country.

The meeting convened by the President underlines the importance of the Program to Kazakhstan’s development. Only last week, the Minister for Industry and New Technologies, Asset Issekeshev, reported to the government on the progress of the first five years of the Program and talked about preparations for the next five-year period (see Astana Calling No.302).

While not disputing the achievements of the Program so far, the President warned against complacency. So although Mr Issekeshev reported that in 2012, Kazakhstan’s GDP grew by 5%, and that 1.3% of this increase was thanks to new production brought about by the Industrialization Program, President Nazarbayev stressed that the economic crisis in western countries was inevitably having an effect on the economy of Kazakhstan.

This was borne out by figures released in April by the Statistics Agency of Kazakhstan. Although the overall economic figure for the first three months of 2013 was up 3.7% on the same period in 2012, foreign trade for January-February 2013 fell by 5.4% compared to the same period last year; and of that, exports were over 14% lower.

The driving force behind the Program for the Rapid Development of Industry and Innovation in Kazakhstan is the realization that the country must move away from its dependency on natural resources and create a more diversified economy. There have been successes with the creation of new industries; but the President stressed that all of the points set out in the Program must be reached.

He emphasized to his ministers once more that the lessons of the global economic crisis must be heeded, not only because they inevitably affect Kazakhstan, but so that the government can learn from them and avoid repeating mistakes made elsewhere.

“We must not allow the pace of growth in our economy to slacken, nor can we permit an increase in unemployment,” President Nazarbayev said. According to the Statistics Agency, unemployment in March stood at 5.3% of the working population. The majority of jobs are now in the service sector, the President said. He picked out the development of tourism as a particular area deserving the government’s attention.

Despite the positive results so far of the Industrialization Program and its planned development in stage two (which is currently being planned for the 2015-2020 period), President Nazarbayev returned yet again to the threat which the global recession could pose to Kazakhstan’s program.

“The global recession could lead to us having to cut back on capital investments into major scheduled construction projects.

This is a very serious question. The government must carefully analyze ways in which to support the growth of the economy and the level of employment. Every region and every ministry must be involved in this. We have at our disposal all of the capabilities, resources and relevant departments to solve these issues,” the President said.

“Because of the drop in prices for production in the mining, metallurgical and chemical sectors, there is less money coming into the budget. The government must look into this carefully. In addition, programs which were put in place before to cope with the looming crisis must now be re-evaluated in order to see how relevant they are in present circumstances.”

President Nazarbayev ASTANA CALLING / ISSUE 303 / 4

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Kazakhstan Delegation Takes Part in Annual Meeting of Asian Development Bank

Minister of Economy and Budget Planning, Yerbolat Dossayev

A delegation from Kazakhstan, led by the Minister of Economy and Budget Planning, Yerbolat Dossayev, took part in the 46th Annual Meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which was held in New Delhi on May 2-5. One of the decisions of the meeting was that the next session will be held in Astana, on May 2-3 2014.

The Annual Meeting of the ADB brings together ministers, officials, business people and representatives of international organizations and civil society. The ADB was founded in 1966 and now has 67 member countries, 48 of which are from the AsiaPacific Region. The aim of the ADB is to assist the economic growth of countries in the Region, paying particular attention to ecological sustainability and regional integration. Kazakhstan joined the ADB in 1993.

Among this year’s subjects for discussion, were, “Innovation for inclusion”; “Delivering effective public services”; and “Managing inflation”. There was a presentation by the host nation, “India – next wave of inclusive growth”; and a presentation from the delegation from Kazakhstan on the economic, investment and tourist potential of Kazakhstan.

There was also a seminar entitled, “Asia 2050: the idea of the 21st century as Asia’s century becomes a reality”. This seminar put forward the proposal that if the countries of Asia are serious about furthering their development, by the year 2050 Asia could represent one half of the world’s economy. It currently represents a quarter of the global economy.

Summing up the results of the meeting, the ADB President, Takehiko Nakao, said that the Board of Governors had six main points for future consideration: the need for the ADB to focus on infrastructure; “inclusiveness” – the Board recognized that there is growing inequality throughout the region, which, if not addressed, will mean that growth will not be sustainable; greater attention to be paid to the environment, climate change and green growth; the role of the ADB in regional integration; ensuring that the Bank’s lending level remains adequate for the needs of the countries of the region; and the need for the ADB to increase its efficiency and development effectiveness.

The main topic for next year’s meeting of the ADB in Astana has already been set: “The New Silk Road, Uniting Asia and Europe: Asia and Europe in a Changing World”. The meeting is expected to attract up to 5,000 participants.

Kazakhstan has already signed agreements with the ADB on supporting the diversification of the country’s economy; and on improving transport, energy and construction in the cities. There is a separate agreement on support for small and medium-sized businesses. A major project in Kazakhstan in which the ADB is involved is the reconstruction of the transit corridor, “Western Europe to Western China”. Not only will this project increase the amount of trade that will take place between Europe and China, it will bring major benefits throughout Kazakhstan’s economy.

“Among the challenges facing Asia and the Pacific region today, participants shared the view that ensuring inclusive and sustainable growth is most critical. I am pleased that ADB Governors supported my vision of three ‘I’s’ – a more innovative, more inclusive and more integrated Asia and the Pacific.”

ADB President, Takehiko Nakao

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News from the Government in Brief President Nazarbayev Wishes Orthodox Christians a Happy Easter President Nazarbayev congratulated all Orthodox Christians with the Easter celebration, which took place in the Orthodox Church on May 5. The President said that in a multi-confessional state such as Kazakhstan, all citizens can participate in the joy of great religious festivals, which help to strengthen the spiritual well-being of the people.

On Easter Sunday itself, the President visited the Cathedral of the Assumption in Astana. He described Easter as a great feast, symbolizing resurrection and renewal. He said it symbolized Kazakhstan, too, a country which has been re-born and is developing for the better.

“Islam and Orthodoxy,” continued the President, “are the pillars of our spirituality. Through spirituality and mutual understanding of our humanity we shall move forward. I can say with all confidence that Orthodoxy is a reliable partner of the state for creating peace and agreement in society.”

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan thanked the President for visiting the Cathedral and for his constant attention to the Orthodox community in Kazakhstan. (akorda.kz)

Government to Discuss “Innovation Clusters” at Astana Economic Forum The Ministry of Economy and Budget Planning and the Institute for Economic Research will hold a session at this month’s VI Astana Economic Forum on the topic of, “Conditions for the Formation of Economic Clusters with the Cooperation of the Leading Innovation Centers and Top Managers”. The session will examine ways of bringing together scientists, business people and government officials to combine the country’s intellectual and investment capabilities with its raw materials to create a new system of innovation. Furthermore, foreign experience in stimulating innovative practices will be looked at to see if these can be adapted to Kazakhstan.

The global trend now is for a post-industrial model of development, based on innovation. Centers are being established in rapidly-developing economies for technology transfer, business incubators, technoparks, special economic zones and innovation clusters. The government sees no reason why Kazakhstan should not follow the same path. (primeminister.kz)

Kazakhstan Calls In Foreign Trainers to Help With Sochi Olympics Kazakhstan’s sportsmen and women preparing for the Winter Olympics which will be held in Sochi, Russia, in February 2014 are being helped by foreign trainers. In particular, trainers and specialists have been brought in from abroad to train Kazakhstan’s speed-skaters, figure-skaters, downhill skiers, cross-country skiers and those taking part in the biathlon.

Announcing the move, the Deputy Chairman of the Agency for Sport and Physical Education, Yelsiyar Kanagatov, said that this is considered normal practice in world sport, not only to train the athletes but to improve the performance of homegrown trainers, too. Kazakhstan has already gained places for 22 athletes in six sports at the Sochi Winter Olympics, and expects by the end of the year to have 40 competitors across ten sports. In total, athletes will be competing for 98 medals in 15 different competitions. (primeminister.kz)

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Kazakhstan Prepares Satellite Launch for December In December this year, Kazakhstan is planning to launch a medium spatial resolution satellite. This will be an Earth remote sensing satellite, and will help pave the way for the launch of a high spatial resolution satellite at the end of 2014. The whole project is an excellent example of international space collaboration. The medium spatial resolution satellite is being built in Guildford in England, by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL). The high spatial resolution satellite is a joint venture with France, and the satellite is currently under construction by EADS “Astrium” in Toulouse.

Both parts of the project will be controlled from Kazakhstan in the National Space Centre which is now being built. All of the infrastructure for the Earth remote sensing satellite program will be based here, including the control point for the satellites and the center for the analysis of information obtained by them. (primeminister.kz)

Third Satellite for “KazSat” System to Be Launched Next Year The third satellite in the “KazSat” system is due to be launched in the first quarter of 2014. In tandem with the first two satellites in the system, “KazSat” and “KazSat-2”, “KazSat-3” should solve all communications and broadcasting issues across the whole of Kazakhstan. It is expected also to give a major boost to communications and multi-media services across the Republic, such as internet, the 3G network and digital television.

“KazSat-3” should also enable trouble-free satellite reception not only in Kazakhstan, but will be able to provide paid services to parts of Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Russia and Uzbekistan. (primeminister.kz)

Kazakhstan Begins Production of Personal Satellite Navigation Systems The first personal satellite navigation systems are being produced in Kazakhstan, enabling private citizens to determine at any moment their whereabouts while travelling. The equipment, which is produced by the National Center for Space Exploration and Technology and the Kazakhstan Garysh Sapary Company, is compatible with the global navigation systems GPS and GLONASS, and is designed also to accommodate the Galileo system, which is currently being developed in Europe.

Should one of these systems fail, users can switch to one of the others. (primeminister.kz)

Kazakhstan Parliament Approves Draft Law on Transit of UK Forces The lower house of the parliament of Kazakhstan, the Majilis, approved in draft form a law on the agreement between the government of Kazakhstan and the UK government to allow the transit of UK military equipment and personnel through Kazakhstan in connection with the role of the UK Armed Forces in Afghanistan. UK cargo aircraft will be allowed to use the airspace of Kazakhstan but will not have the right to land on the territory of Kazakhstan other than to make an emergency landing. They will not be allowed to land to re-fuel, nor to allow troops to rest. Nor will in-flight refuelling be permitted over the territory of Kazakhstan. (government.kz)

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Also in The News…

• An exhibition, “Renewable Energy Sources: Made in Germany”, has opened in Petropavlovsk with the participation of the German Embassy in Kazakhstan. There are already some renewable energy sources in use in the North Kazakhstan Region.

And with Astana having been chosen to host EXPO-2017 on the theme of “Energy of the Future”, similar exhibitions are planned for eight cities throughout Kazakhstan. (zonakz.net) • A delegation from the upper house of the Parliament of Kazakhstan, the Senate, has been visiting the USA this week. Led by the Deputy Chairman of the Senate, Alexander Sudin, the visit has been taking place to mark the tenth anniversary of the Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, which was created by President Nazarbayev in 2003. The senators opened a photo-exhibition about the Congress in Washington, and held talks with religious leaders in New York. (parlam.kz) • Senator Adil Akhmetov took part this week in a round table in Vienna on inter-religious dialogue in guaranteeing freedom of religion and belief. Senator Akhmetov chaired the session on, “The role of religious leaders in guaranteeing freedom of belief at the national level”. (parlam.kz) • A delegation from Kazakhstan took part this week in a meeting of The General Assembly of the International Bureau of Exhibitions in Paris. The delegation was led by the Minister for the Environment, Nurlan Kapparov. The meeting heard reports about preparations for EXPO-2015 in Milan and EXPO-2017 in Astana. There were also presentations by the countries aiming to be chosen for EXPO-2020: Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Brazil and Russia. (mfa.gov.kz) • From May 3-10 a “Week of Films from Kazakhstan” took place in the Swiss capital, Bern. The event was organized by the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Switzerland, along with the “Keruen” Kazakhstan-Switzerland Association and the National Museum of the Arts in Bern. It was the first time that such an event had been put on in Switzerland. (mfa.gov.kz) • The Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Afghanistan, Omirtay Bitimov, held a meeting this week with the Vice-President of Afghanistan, Karim Khalili. The Ambassador invited Mr Khalili to take part in the VI Astana Economic Forum later this month, and also the International Anti-Crisis Conference which will be held in Astana May 22-24. (mfa.gov.kz)

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• Kazakhstan was represented this week at the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. This is the 20th year that this prestigious travel and tourism event has been held, and it attracted participants from 150 countries. (inform.kz) • A jug discovered in an archaeological dig in the town of Sayram was found to contain 2,600 silver coins. Alongside it a number of items were found made of gold. The coins have provisionally been dated as being from the 15th or 16th century; the gold from the 13th to the 16th. The find is already being described as the most significant archaeological find in Kazakhstan’s post-Soviet history, and has revealed new evidence about the history of the Kazakh Khanate. (inform.kz) • Children’s music and dance groups from Kazakhstan took part in the international festival in Berlin, “It’s Raining Stars!”

Children from 40 countries took part and the festival was held at a number of venues throughout the German capital. (inform.kz) • The first colourful marathon, “Yarkokross” has been held in Almaty. “Yarkokross”, meaning a brightly-coloured crosscountry run, has already been held in a number of cities around the world. The idea is to show that people are the same everywhere, and should not be divided by the colour of their skin, their nationality or any other outward signs. People who took part wore bright colours in their clothes or in face paints. (inform.kz) • An international boxing tournament has been taking place in Astana from May 9-13, for the prize awarded by Hero of the Soviet Union, General Sagadat Nurmagambetov. This now well-established tournament attracts boxers from far and wide.

This year, as well as boxers from all over Kazakhstan, 150 fighters are taking part, from nine countries: Burma, Iraq, Mongolia, Russia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. (bnews.kz)

ASTANA CALLING A WEEKLY ONLINE PUBLICATION / WWW.MFA.GOV.KZ Please send comments and questions to pressa@mfa.kz

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